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Ian Stewart
Ian Stewart

Ian Stewart

traveled in 52 countries Read more
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  • Japan 2025

    Last night in Japan!

    Oct 10–11 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    - We had another beautiful drive today. We drove mostly along the Shimamui coast, which had some beautiful scenery.
    - On the way we stopped at a swamp/wetland called Shinsen-Numa marsh. We walked along a really pretty trail along the marsh and ended at an amazing viewpoint where you could see the sea. We had some delicious hot chocolates before continuing our drive along the coast.
    - We stopped on the way at Lawsons, which is a convenience food store that sells a lot of delicious fresh foods such as rice and noodle dishes, bao buns, sandwiches, sushi, smoothies etc. Other similar stores in Japan are 7-Elevens and Seicomart.
    - In the late afternoon we arrived at our final accommodation of the trip, the Grand Blissen Hotel in Jozankei. This room was very nice and had beautiful rooms overlooking the river and each room had its own private onsen (which unfortunately I couldn’t use as it was quite hot!)
    - We had a delicious last dinner at a restaurant where all the locals frequent. The others had sushi and then we had a range of other dishes that we shared (such as rice, noodles, chicken dishes).
    - The next morning I went for a run and Badger used the hotel onsen, which he said was amazing and had an infinity pool by the river.
    - We then packed up and drove to the airport, ready for the long journey back to London!    Read more

  • Japan 2025

    Niseko

    Oct 8–10 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    - We arrived in Niseko (a really cute ski town) in the afternoon.
    - We stayed in a really nice hotel while there. We played a lot of cards in the lobby while there which was fun.
    - The first night there we had a rather disappointing dinner. Some aspects of it were nice but other parts not great.
    - The next day we took a cable car up to a point and then hiked up to the top of one of the mountains. The view at the top was really beautiful.
    - We had a delicious lunch at a dairy that made homemade pizza! We ordered quite a lot, so kept some for dinner that night.
    - That afternoon Badge and I went on a run. The first part was really hilly and quite tough but then we reached some downhills and flats, which were a bit easier!
    - The others also enjoyed the onsens while we were there.    Read more

  • Japan 2025

    Lake Toyo

    Oct 7–8 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    - We stayed one night at a quaint accommodation called Pension Ohno alongside Lake Toyo.
    - This little town had a promenade along the lake, so I went on two great runs while there.
    - We had a really nice dinner of tepanyaki, which is where you cook all your meat and veg on a grill in front of you at the table. I made sure my meat was fully cooked but the others had delicious rare meat.
    - The next day, we stopped at a really cute dairy farm called Lakehill farm and had some delicious pizzas. Badger was also really pleased with his glass of fresh milk! 🥛    Read more

  • Japan 2025

    Noboribetsu

    Oct 5–7 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    - We drove to Lake Onneto, which was another beautiful lake.
    - On the way to Noboribetsu, we visited Hell valley (also known as Jigokudani). It was cool to see a landscape of hissing steam vents and sulphurous streams.
    - We stayed two nights at a quaint Airbnb that looked onto a river. We saw a family of deer by the river too!
    - The first night we made a nice home-cooked pasta.
    - The next day we did a 9km hike up Mount Taramae, which had beautiful views at the top but was quite cold and windy!
    - That afternoon we drove along Orofure Pass, which had beautiful views of Mount Yotei and Lake Toya. We also saw another pretty waterfall.
    - That evening we braaied steak at the Airbnb and made yummy prego rolls.    Read more

  • Japan 2025

    Kawayu

    Oct 4–6 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    - We stayed two nights in a town called Kawayu and stayed in very eccentric accommodation called the Art Inn. This is run by artists and was quite an eccentric place to stay!
    - The first night we had dinner at a soba noodle restaurant, which was great! Just a lot of food. We also got to do some washing at a laundromat. They had these large scale washing machines that can wash and dry in 60 minutes! Crazy!
    - The next day, we drove to Lake Mashu, which was a beautiful, huge, clear blue lake.
    - We went on a hike through the forest and along the water’s edge.
    - We then went on a boat ride to see some special, spherical algae that you get at Lake Mashu.
    - That night we had a really delicious meal at a restaurant by our accommodation that included gyoza, garlic prawns and pork belly skewers.    Read more

  • Japan 2025

    Yuyado Daichii

    Oct 2–3 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    - We started our day with a beautiful drive along the Shiretoko Pass (Route 334), which connects Utoro on the west coast with Rausu on the east.
    - Along the way, we stopped at Shibetsu Mire (a National Natural Monument). We had a walk along a short trail, which was very pretty.
    - We then continued our drive to our next accommodation called Yuyado Daichii. This was beautiful ‘ryokan’ built along a river and forest. It was the most amazing accommodation that we stayed in so far! Such a beautiful building with wooden floors and looking onto the river.
    - There was amazing bird life to see and they even call you at any time of day or night to see the Blakiston’s fish owl if it makes an appearance! Luckily it made its appearance at dinner time and not in the middle of the night!
    - That night we also had the most amazing dinner that included quite a number of little courses that were delicious! Unfortunately, I couldn’t have the sashimi but Badge ate that for me.
    - The accommodation also had amazing indoor and outdoor hot springs that Al, Caity and Badge took full advantage of. I briefly went in two that were cool enough (I bought a thermometer with) but all the others were too hot! The showers were great though and they had such nice products to use and Dyson hair dryers.    Read more

  • Japan 2025

    Shiretoko

    Sep 30–Oct 2 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    - We had a few hours drive to Shiretoku, where we were hoping to see bears.
    - Along the way we drove along Mikuni Pass, which showed amazing views of the forests of Daisetsuzan.
    - We also stopped to see another beautiful waterfall along the way called Oshinkoshin Falls.
    - We stayed two nights at Shiretoku Hotel. It was nice to sleep on actual beds and not futons!
    - The next day we headed out for a hike, hoping to see bears. We went to Shiretoku Conservation centre where the trail started. We had a bear safety lecture before starting on the trail. It was a beautiful trail with amazing scenery! We didn’t see bears, unfortunately or maybe fortunately as it might have been a bit scary to see them on foot.
    - That afternoon we had booked to go on a boat. Unfortunately, because of me being pregnant they were a bit weird about me going on the boat. They said I had to go on bigger, more stable boat because of the risk of motion sickness. So Badge and I went on another boat trip while Caity and Al went on the original boat trip (FYI their boat wasn’t small at all!) Al and Caity got to see three bears but we didn’t unfortunately.
    - That evening we went to such a cute restaurant run by a couple. We ate some really delish food such as gyoza and katsu curry. The others had plum wine, which they liked.    Read more

  • Japan 2025

    Asahidake & Sounkyo Gorge

    Sep 28–30 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    - We got up and got ready and left the air bnb and drove along a scenic route to an area called the Daisetsuzan National Park.
    - On the way we stopped at a flower farm and ate some fried potato dumpling things (sort of like vetkoek around a potato) and spanspek.
    - We then went to see Mount Asahidake (we didn’t climb all the way up). We went up the cable cart and walked a loop around the area. It was very pretty with the autumn colours starting to show.
    - We had a lunch of croquettes made with potato and pork, which were yummy.
    - We then drove a couple hours to check into our hotel called Taisetsu hotel. It was very cool and different. Had a number of onsens. We stayed 2 nights at that hotel.
    - The next morning we headed to the cable car just down the road from the hotel. We got the cable car and chair lift up and then hiked up to the top of Mount Kurodake. It was quite a lot of climbing but so worth it at the top. We climbed down and had some delicious ramen for lunch.
    - We then had a quick drive to see Ginga and Ryusia falls, which were very beautiful. We then drove a bit further on to see Obako (a rock formation that showcases the gorge's unique columnar jointing geology, which resembles traditional Japanese folding screens (byobu)).
    - That night, we went to see the Miraculous Illuminate festival (an event that uses projection mapping and interactive lights to transform the natural autumn foliage of Momijidani Valley into a magical experience).
    - Al, Caity and Badge used the many onsens while staying at the hotel, which was a cool experience. I used my thermometer to check the temperature of the onsens to determine which ones I could go in (which was one or two of the much cooler ones).    Read more

  • Japan 2025

    Kami Furano and surrounds

    Sep 26–28 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    - Caity, Al and Badge flew from Osaka to Sapporo and picked up the rental car.
    - They then made the journey to Kami Furano wher they stayed for 2 nights and Em joined for the second night.
    - Caity, Al and Badge went to a place that evening to eat food made in the yakiniku style. Apparently it was delicious.
    - They then went to a very interesting Karaoke bar where Badger sang Hey Jude and Alex sang Bohemian Rhapsody.
    - Caity, Al and Badge drove along Panorama Road and saw the ‘patchwork’ effect of the fields in the area south of Biei's town
    (Biei is a small town famous for its gently rolling hills and vast, colourful fields).
    - They also visited the Enigmatic Blue Pond and Shirahige Falls and drove towards Mount Tokachidake, an active volcano that dominates the landscape.
    - Caity, Al and Badger also visited Fukiage Onsen (a natural, free, and wild outdoor hot spring located halfway up Mount Tokachidake). Their first onsen experience!
    - Later that afternoon they fetched me (Em), I had made the long journey from London (and high included an 11 hour flight, another 3 hour flight and a train journey). I was very exhausted!
    - They then had a 1.5 hour drive (along the Roller Coaster Road) and also visited Kanayama Lake on the way back to the accommodation.
    - That night we enjoyed dinner at a local yakatori restaurant.
    - Al and Badger stayed up to watch the springbok game that was at mid-night! What an amazing game with Sasha scoring the most points in any game than any other springbok in history! I tried to stay up but was too exhausted. I did wake up at 2.30am when he came to bed and he gave me the lowdown on Sasha’s amazing performance!    Read more

  • Scandinavia Eurotrip 2023

    England: Oakhill Road and HOME!

    October 12, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    The last time packing Olaf and the final time driving him on our trip. With England turning to its Old Faithful of cold, grey drizzle to serenade us home, one couldn't help but wonder if the gods were echoing our sentiment and mourning the end of our trip. However, rather than being glum and miserable, it was also a good time to reflect on how amazing this trip had been and a trip that we will both be talking about for ages! For both Emz and I, this trip was an absolute winner! We learnt a lot about ourselves, each other, the countries we visited and the world itself (aided by the numerous podcasts we did in the car). We are now engaged and the fact that we arrived home together after spending +-23hrs a day (1 hour off for when Emz went running) together for the last 3 months, should hopefully be testament to our relationship for the future. I love you Emz and it wouldn't have been the same without you!❤️

    As great as the trip was, it was also nice to arrive back at our flat where we were happy to see that all was -mostly- in 1 piece (especially Nats' painting which survived 3 months apart unscathed). Nothing can take away the joy one feels on seeing the familiarity that is their home. I finally have a fan to fall asleep to and Emz has access to a washing machine 24/7.

    For those interested, here are some of the trip stats and what were our highlights:

    🇿🇦: 18 countries visited (11 new to me, 10 for Emz)
    🚗: 11 825km driven
    🥾: 208km hiking
    ⬆️: 6386m elevation gain whilst hiking!!
    🚴: 96km cycling
    🏃🏃‍♀️: A LOT of running (Emz more than me)
    🇫🇷: Best all-round country (France)
    🇫🇷🇱🇹🇵🇱🇮🇹: Favourite meals (France/Lithuania/Poland/Italy)
    💍🚴🥾🇳🇴🧖🇫🇮 : Our favourite experiences (getting engaged/all days we cycled/hiking in Norway/Sauna'ring in Finland)
    🏙️🇩🇰🇱🇹: Copenhagen and Vilnius, our favourite capital cities
    🌇: Bouillon, our favourite town
    🏕️🇸🇪: favourite camping experience (1st wild camping in Sweden)
    🇩🇪🇩🇰: Best hostels (Lubeck and Copenhagen)
    🇫🇷🇮🇹🇪🇪🇫🇮: best airbnbs (Nice+Verdun/Chiavari/Talinn/Finnish countryside)
    🇳🇴🇱🇻: worst airbnbs (Oslo and Latvian countryside)
    🇭🇺🇳🇴: unfriendliest people (Hungary, Norway (latter more aloof))
    🇮🇹🇫🇷: friendliest people (Italy, France)

    And that's pretty much it! It's been an incredible trip and thank you to those that took the time to read this! Thanks once again to Emz for an amazing trip and here's to many more in the future! Over and out. ❤️    Read more

  • Scandinavia Eurotrip 2023
    Braai on the 1st evening
    Drinking wine all cosily on the couch

    England: Spalding

    October 10, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    It was with sad hearts that we crossed the English channel and back onto Mud Island after what had been such an incredible time spent in continental Europe. We came back to the UK 2 days early from our allowed 90 day visa waiver in Europe. This was so that we are allowed to go back into Europe for 2 days for a weekend trip away should need be within the next 6 months. Or, more pertinently and **hopefully**, the Bokke progress through the QFs of the RWC and then there is the option to go back to France to watch either a semi final or final or both.🇿🇦
    Since we were back in the UK early, we couldn't go home as our flat was still being subletted, so we decided to visit Rocky and Helen. These are friends who we had visited right at the start of our trip, so it seemed only fitting to stop at their place again for 2 nights. Even though it was on school nights for them, we still had a lekker 'welcome back' braai and a few glasses of champagne and wine to celebrate our engagement. It was a lekker couple of days and only a fitting end to our trip.☺️    Read more

  • Scandinavia Eurotrip 2023

    France: Boulogne Sur Mer.

    October 9, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌙 17 °C

    Our last night in continental Europe!😭 We stayed in this sleepy little town for our last night in continental Europe before catching the ferry early the next morning. We went out to a local seafood restaurant where we had the local cuisine of 'moules et frites' (mussels and chips). Whoever said French portion sizes were small got it wrong on this occasion! This was the most mussels I think either of us had ever eaten! I reckon each bucket must've contained +-100 mussels! Emz and myself couldn't even finish the chips or the mussels. It was a lovely evening though as we analysed our trip and went through all the highlights and lowlights of it. Sadly only 3 nights left before we were to be back home in London.😫Read more

  • Scandinavia Eurotrip 2023
    1Bridge in Bouillon
    View from the viewpoint on our hike2Us at the topBelgian WafflesAn interesting road through the crackDinant townHot air balloons over DinantA church on the river near our accommodationOur red wine fondue

    Belgium: Bouillon and Dinant

    October 8, 2023 in Belgium ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    The abovementioned towns are 2 towns I'd been to before and they were so lovely I wanted to show them off to Emma and revisit them. They didn't disappoint! Bouillon was one of the prettiest towns we visited on our travels! Especially with the start of the Autumn colours. It has just about everything...a quaint town by a river, nice hikes nearby, a castle and lovely little restaurants along the river. Dinant is a similar town and also is filled with charm. That evening we had a lovely meal at a small little restaurant where we had a red wine fondue which was a first for both of us. This is where a wine stock is used in the fondue instead of the more conventional cheese or oil.Read more

  • Scandinavia Eurotrip 2023
    The primary forces at Verdun
    The pockmarked hills that is all that remains of FleuryWhere the town hall once stood in FleuryThe Fort DuoumontOutside of the fortA view from one of the gun turretsThe large counterweights used to raise the gun turretsThe French memorial in the fortThe cemetery of French soldiers lost

    France: Verdun

    October 7, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    After the delights of wine tasting, it was back to visiting some of the dark history of Europe of which this continent is sadly riddled with. Verdun, of course, was one of the bloodiest, most devastating battles on the Western Front of WW1. We went to the Verdun memorial which showed how the war played out in this area from both the Allied and the German perspectives. Once again, one is reminded of the senselessness of war - particularly this war- and the high losses of human life. This area was so heavily shelled by artillery fire, that the village of Fleury-devant-Duoumont (which changed hands between the allies and the Germans no less than 16 times!) Was completely flattened! All that remained of the village were stone markers indicating what used to stand in its place eg baker, blacksmith etc. The artillery fire was so heavy in this area, that the landscape is still pockmarked like a spotty teenagers face. And this is after 105 years since the war ended!
    We also visited Fort Duoumont which was one of the strategic strongholds for the area as well as the memorial cemetery. All so sad once again to see the tragic loss of life.
    On a happier note, we stayed in a lovely Airbnb in the town where Odile, our elderly host, was super accomodating and we had a lovely chat via a translating app with her over breakfast. She really confirmed the friendliness of the French as what we had experienced on our trip thus far.    Read more

  • Scandinavia Eurotrip 2023
    Some Chardonnay bubbles
    The cycle route through the villagesOne of the château wine farms1Town hall of one of the villagesOur picnic spot with the wine farms behind usDrinking our wineEntering one of the French villages1

    France: Beaune in Burgundy

    October 6, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    It was time to do something we hadn't done to date on the trip and go to an area famous for its wine-tasting. The town of Beaune is centrally located in the Burgundy region of France and is one of the most famous wine regions in the world! We decided to start our stay off here by doing something classy and going to a fine dining French restaurant where we had a 5 course meal all paired with wine. It was absolutely delicious! (Photos are in the post below as this app wouldn't allow me to put all the photos together in this post). It was our most expensive meal of the trip at €150, but was totally worth it and was a treat for the twilight stages of our trip.
    The next day we had one of our favourite days of the trip. We rented bicycles and cycled through the villages of this wine growing region and sampled a glass of their produce at each village. It was a fantastic day! We ended up cycling 55km in total which was quite a distance for some non-regular cyclists. This time on the bike led to the only drawback of the day, our sore bums! However, waddling around like John Wayne for the next 2 days was a worthy price to pay for the day we had!☺️    Read more

  • Scandinavia Eurotrip 2023
    Night shot from the balcony of our flat
    Evening view from the balconyA view from our walkThe barren ski slopes

    France: Prapoutel

    Oct 3–5, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    From the preAlps, it was off to the actual Alps we went! We went to a little ski town known as Prapoutel. Being out of season, it was super peaceful here and a much needed couple of days rest after our 3 days of jolling with our friends. The place was very quiet and it was interesting to see a ski resort without snow! The place had some lovely trails though which Emz took full advantage of with her running. We also played another game of Scrabble. Emz was a bit off form though and it allowed me to get back to winning ways after 3 consecutive losses to her. Overall, a pleasant stay in this seasonal village.Read more

  • Scandinavia Eurotrip 2023
    The sheep traffic
    BrianconnetThe view from Brianconnet

    France: Brianconnet

    October 3, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    It was just a quick overnight stay in this little sleepy hollow. A tiny little village at the top of one of the mountains in what is known as the 'preAlps'. A cute little place with amazing views! We woke up to sheep being herded through the village which was an unusual sight and we were both miraculously better from our ailments of the day before.☺️Read more

  • Scandinavia Eurotrip 2023
    Al at the stadium
    Go Bokke!The view from our seats!Last swim in the sea for for Emz and CaityLast bit of tanning timeAll of us squeezed into Olaf.

    France: Marseille and the BOKKE!🇿🇦

    October 1, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    The next day it was time to head to Marseille and watch the Mighty Bokke play against Tonga! The spectacle didn't disappoint! South African fans were everywhere and we got to meet up with Dev/Jordie/Kev McMahon; Rob Frames and his gf Katie; Luke/Cat; and Russy (a friend from London). It was a lekker game and a lekker jol! The night ended quite blurrily with the staple Turkish Doner Kebab at about 2am. The next day our Airbnb looked like an ICU ward. Well at least for myself and Al. Stricken with nausea and a pulsating headache, it was difficult to put my finger on the exact cause for this malady. I'd adequately hydrated myself the previous day with 10 pints of beer and eaten food throughout the day.🤔 Must've been the Doner Kebab then. Anyways, after what was the most expensive orange juice we've all ever had (€6 per a glass!😳), we headed back along the French Riviera to take Al and Caity back to Nice airport. It was on this drive that Emz became quite nauseous. Car sickness or maybe she'd caught the same contagion as me?🤔 Who knows.🤷🏻‍♂️. After having our last swim in the sea - probably for the year- it was with heavy hearts that we dropped Al and Caity off at the airport. It was a lovely 3 days spent with them and something we've missed on our trip is spending time with our friends.Read more

  • Scandinavia Eurotrip 2023

    France: The French Riviera&Saint Tropez

    September 30, 2023 in France

    After Nice, it was time to cruise the French Riviera. I must say, there's a reason this part of France is popular! With hidden coves, beaches and quaint little towns littering the coastline, this place is a virtual paradise! But, as basic economics would show, where there's great demand with limited supply, the costs go up! It was after I'd told my dad that we were heading to Saint Tropez, that I realised it might be a little over priced. He -now famously -told me that when he visited this town with his friends in the 70s on their quest to catch a glimpse of Brigitte Bardot, they 'couldn't even afford a bloody boiled egg!'😂 Well, he was not wrong! With entrées starting at €40 pp, we were also in danger of going meal-less in St Tropez. Thankfully, we could at least go to the beach, which was free. It was here that Al and myself spied (although it stood out like a beacon) the 110m, 4 story super yacht parked in the bay. With modern technology, we were able to look up the registered owner of the yacht and what he paid for it. It ended up being owned by a Canadian CEO of a listed company who paid a cool $350mil (R6.6bil) for this boat. Small change. It was also pointed out that this guy's net worth was $700mil, so he spent half his overall wealth on a boat. Emz questioned who would do that? Well, I'd argue that if you've still got $350mil in the bank, you're probably not too worried that the price of bread has gone by 10c per loaf due to inflation. I also assured Emz that with a vet and a dietician's salary, if we saved really hard, we will be parked in the bay next to this guy in 5 years time ☺️. (What Emz doesn't know, is that the boat we are going to be in a 2nd hand canoe🙊😉)Read more

  • Scandinavia Eurotrip 2023
    Cheers with our champagne
    An aperol spritz on the beach1Maybe the Italians had rubbed off on me with my slick hair and mustache?🤦🏻‍♂️View of Nice from the hill.

    France: Well isn't this 'Nice'

    September 29, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    So after burning a few litres of fuel drag racing in Monaco, it was onto Nice. Well isn't that 'Nice'. (Another joke that I think got funnier with each retelling. Emz however, almost gave the impression that she didn't agree with this sentiment🤔). And FINALLY we got to meet up with our close friends Al and Caity who'd flown across from London to join us for a small section of the trip. We were finally able to celebrate our engagement by having a glass of Moet champagne from a bottle we'd been carrying around since leaving the UK 2.5 months earlier. Most of that 1st day was just spent catching up on news whilst tanning on the beach and swimming in the sea. With friends, excellent weather, great food and wine, it was a really good 'Welcome to France' day. Some might even say, it was Nice (see, never gets old😉😁).Read more

  • Scandinavia Eurotrip 2023

    Monaaaaaaco

    September 29, 2023 in Monaco ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    So after a couple further nights in Italy in a place called Sanremo (where we just vegged on the beach soaking up the last rays of summer), we headed onto the French Riviera to meet our friends in Nice. But first, it was a quick drive by through Monaco (or as my dad would say, 'Monaaaaaaaco' with a really drawn out 'a'). Now this place is renowned for its opulence of flashy hotels, casinos, super yachts and fast cars. Thankfully, we were able to fit right in with the bourgeoisie by having Olaf, our Vauxhall Astra'n Martin😁. Oli was finally right at home where he belonged. He even turned many a head as we drove by in what I'm assuming was an unsubtle attempt to admire his sexiness (although the frown on the people's faces was at odds with this sentiment 🤔). Anyways we knew we were in for a challenge when we pulled up next to Maseratis, Lotuses, Ferraris and Lamborghinis at the robots where we all revved our engines (Olaf being a 1.6L, his roar was so deafening I don't think I could hear any of the other cars. Or maybe some of the roar came from them?🤔). And so the drag race began!! Olaf was so fast, that when we crossed the finish line, none of the other cars were in sight! I think the most likely explanation for this was that they were so far behind us! There's no reasonable explanation otherwise. Anyways, Olaf is now known as the King of Monaaaaaaco. If people say they've never heard of this knew 'king', just ask them if they own a super yacht. If not, then what do they know anyway.😉Read more

  • Scandinavia Eurotrip 2023
    1Hidden coves around Portofino point
    Chiavari marinaChiavari at sunsetIntrepid cyclists1st Portofino beachSuper yacht parked in the bayFinal Portofino bayFinal Portofino marinaVenison Ragu and spaghettiRavioli pasta with a chestnut cream sauceA delicious Tiramisu

    Italy: Chiavari and Portofino

    September 25, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    It was on to Chiavari and it was here that Italy FINALLY started living up to its expectations!😁 We stayed in a homely little place in this less than touristy town where the host was super helpful and let us use their bicycles for free. The one thing I can say about the Italians is they are the friendliest people we've had up to date on our travels and having the bikes made a huge difference as I feel these little Italian towns are so much better when explored by bicycle. So in a combination of cycling and going by train, we headed off to see the picturesque and exclusive town of Portofino. A place littered with super yachts and frequented by the rich and famous where the likes of Elton John and Rod Stewart (ahem, Dad?!🧐) have been visitors. It was a really lovely day out though cycling between the little hidden beaches until we settled on one we liked and Emz got her much needed beach and tanning time before the end of the summer. After heading back to Chiavari, we went out for supper to an excellent local Italian restaurant as recommended by our host. Finally! An Italian restaurant that lived up to our expectations! A proper local restaurant where the food was delicious, had decent portion sizes and for a reasonable price of €9/dish too! Uiteindelik we could see the side of Italy that is so revered by many. Bella Italia Belllllllla!🤌🏼Read more

  • Scandinavia Eurotrip 2023
    Statue of David
    The Duomo Firenze with the famous dome.Looking across the Arno RiverLampredotto sandwichTrying to capture the busy streets with Emz in itGelato time!Carbonara pasta for supperPizza for supperAn entrancing busker who we watched for ages!

    Italy: Florence. Further disappointment

    September 23, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    It was with great excitement, that we headed into Florence for the day! Finally! Getting to see the city that so many renaissance legends - Lorenzo de Medici/Michaelangelo/Leonardo da Vinci/Donatello/Raphael and Botticelli- called home! But once again, we were sadly unimpressed. Our day got off on the wrong foot when we joined a supposedly top rated walking tour of the city, but were unable to hear our tour guide from all the background noise of tourists. The times we could hear her, she just waffled on in a monotone of the history of the city with very little attempt at making the tour entertaining. We saw Michaelangelo's statue of David and the Duomo Firenze which were highlights in what was otherwise a lacklustre tour of the city. Another turn off to Florence was the fact that it was HEAVING with tourists! The place does have a cool history and architecture, but I think we were fortunate enough to have been to some other places on our travels that had the same charm and yet were far more understated than this city. Emz and I then had a traditional Florentine meat saamie called Lampredotto for lunch. Haha, Emz ended up a bit grossed out after having eaten the saamie when it sunk in that the meat portion of the sandwich was made from the 4th stomach of a cow!😳😂 Our best experience of Florence came next when we had gelato which I must say was delicious! Things improved further when our supper was also actually quite nice where we shared a pasta and a pizza and Florence also appeared a lot more charming at night when it was all lit up and was filled with classical instrument playing buskers on the streets! Sadly, the next item on our agenda was to watch the Bokke play Ireland in a packed Irish pub. Even though the Bokke played well, the loss was probably the cherry on top of what was on average a disappointing day. I think sadly Florence's high jump bar had been set too high and we were the forlorn athletes lying disappointed on the mats beneath.Read more

  • Scandinavia Eurotrip 2023
    The main swimming pool area
    Another view of the poolSteak tartare. Quite avg from what we had in Poland.This tasted just like a cold beef burger pattyTuna pastaPrawn pasta. Emz upset they only gave her 3 prawnsSunset near the resort

    Italy: Cecina

    September 22, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    It was our next 2 nights in Italy where I must say, I was a little disappointed. I think other places from our trip like the Baltics and Poland, our expectations had been relatively low, so it was easy for us to be pleasantly surprised by these places. Italy, well everyone raves about this place! So I guess if it doesn't reach one's expectations, then it's easy to be disappointed. Our first disappointment was the cost. In my head, I pictured Italy as being like Greece i.e. touristy but cheap. This was not the case near Florence! Emz and myself had done a couple podcasts on the Renaissance period of history and how Florence was the centre of all this, so it was a place we both really wanted to visit. Well, to stay in this city, one needs to have a higher budget than what we are travelling on! The cheapest place within a 1hr radius of Florence was £300/night!😳 What probably didn't help matters was that it was the wkd and that we were also used to Eastern European prices where everything is waaaay cheaper. We also subsequently found out it had just been the Milan fashion week, so probably more tourists than usual wanting to visit the city as well. So basically we were in the perfect storm for minimal and overpriced accommodation.
    We managed to find a self catering place that suited our budget, but was 1.5hrs away from Florence near a town called Cecina. The accommodation was really nice albeit having a slightly deserted, run down 'Aventura Resort' feel to it. With numerous cottages, 3 large swimming pools and a central restaurant, it seems a high occupancy rate was to be expected. Sadly I'd say it was probably less than 20% full. We had our 1st 'Italian' meal at the restaurant that night, which was once again, a bit of a disappointment. The food was nice, but nothing to write home about and the portions small for the €15 cost per dish. The only ray of sunshine was, well literally that! The weather was lekker! So we could lounge around these massive pools that we seemingly had all to ourselves and much to Emz's delight, she could start working on her tan.😎    Read more

  • Scandinavia Eurotrip 2023

    Italy: Bassano del Grappa

    September 21, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    From Lake Bled, we drove through the mountains (named the 'PreAlps') of North-eastern Italy. Dominated by tiny, quaint little ski towns like Tarvisio, our initial impression of Italy was a good one! Both Emz and myself had been to Venice before so had decided to skip this and drive further inland. We stayed in a town called Bassano del Grappa just for a night. Unfortunately, due to our 2 sleepless nights in Slovenia, we were both absolutely exhausted and thus just wanted a quick meal and some much needed rest! So, much to my chef of a twin sister's disgust (who had coincidentally just done a culinary tour of Italy), our first meal in Italy was to be a Turkish Doner Kebab.😂 I'm not sure what food Italy is famous for, but is this not it?🤔😂
    The only other incident on our 1 night stay in this town is Olaf's battery was flat when we woke up the next morning. Now this wasn't his fault and it was entirely due to a failed experiment on my part. We've had a mini car fridge which we've travelled with from the very start, and at every stop we've been careful to take the fridge out of the car and connect it to the 240v mains of our accommodation rather than leave it running on the car battery. Now obviously this is a bit of a mission to do each time we stop and where we were staying in this town was up 2 flights of stairs. So I decided we should take a chance and leave it running on the car battery. I mean, how much power could it ultimately be using, right?💁🏻‍♂️ Well, it turns out enough to flatten the battery. 😔 As a silver lining though, we got to meet a nice Italian guy who decided to help us and I got to use the jumper leads I'd specifically bought for an incident such as this and it was good to know they worked!😁 Oli was back in action!😁    Read more

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